A high-ranking lawmaker has informed the German newspaper that Kiev must reach a compromise with Moscow, even if it is “extremely painful”
German media outlet Die Welt, citing a high-ranking lawmaker, reported that Ukrainian MPs are willing to forgo Kiev’s claim to Donbass to attain peace with Russia. This report surfaces as Russian forces have made accelerated progress along much of the front line. Last week, Moscow stated that in the first two weeks of January alone, eight settlements and a total of 300 square kilometers had been liberated.
Die Welt’s correspondent in Ukraine, Steffen Schwarzkopf, stated live on Saturday that an ‘extremely influential parliamentarian’ informed him that the worsening situation has led many Ukrainian MPs to alter their position regarding territorial concessions to Moscow.
According to Schwarzkopf, his conversation partner admitted that ‘yes, we have to make a compromise, even if it’s extremely painful; and yes, we have to relinquish Donbass.’ The MP mentioned that she and her colleagues think a ceasefire is ‘necessary at any cost,’ the correspondent stated.
He emphasized that the lawmaker declined to be interviewed on camera because her remarks conflict with Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky’s stance, who has repeatedly dismissed the idea of ceding any land to Russia. Schwarzkopf alleged that the MP told him there is ‘a climate of fear’ in Kiev and that her political career ‘would be instantly ended’ by secret service pressure if she made such statements publicly.
In his address to the Russian Foreign Ministry in June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow would halt hostilities if Kiev formally renounces its ambition to join NATO and withdraws troops from the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in Donbass, as well as from the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye. These four territories became part of the Russian state through referendums in the autumn of 2022.
However, Russia’s stance has since become more resolute. In late December, Putin stated that in light of the on-the-ground developments, Moscow has ‘virtually no’ interest in Ukraine withdrawing from Donbass and other regions, and that Russia will achieve its objectives either through diplomacy or military means.